Revere residents gather in wake of recent crimes

REVERE – Councilors John R. Correggio and Arthur Guinasso urged residents of Ward 3 to develop neighborhood watch groups.?Don?t be afraid to prevent crime,” Guinasso said Wednesday at Lincoln School?s crowded auditorium. “Bad people are getting away because good people are afraid to get involved.The councilors decided to have a meeting after a slew of break-ins in the Ward 3 area over the past couple of weeks. Correggio?s own aunt?s home on Malden Street has been broken into twice recently. They also discussed how residents can become more alert to their surroundings.Acting Police Chief Joseph Cafarelli told residents not to be nervous about calling the police if they see something suspicious.?Don?t worry. You are not bugging us. We are only as good as the information we receive,” Cafarelli said. “We are 84 strong but we can?t be everywhere.”?It is incumbent upon you all to look out for each other,” he added.He noted that everyone should do simple things like take their valuables out of their cars like a GPS.?A GPS you paid $150 can get someone $25 at a pawn shop and that is four bags of heroin,” Cafarelli said.Mayor Dan Rizzo and the chief said they have placed more patrols in Ward 3 in light of recent events.?I don?t want to hear anymore ?I never see a cop in my neighborhood,?” Rizzo said. “You are entitled to good public safety.”Revere residents Jamie Farrell and Eileen Mundis spoke on how they began a neighborhood watch group in the Beachmont area.Both have 7-year-old sons and one day when Mundis? son was playing in their garden with his father when he was only 4 years old, he found a loaded gun.?It was scary and we knew we had to do something,” Mundis said.The pair suggested to the crowd to get to know their neighbors and have a phone number to call them in case something is happening that they find suspicious. Also, to keep a notepad handy so one could take notes of someone?s description or a license plate number.?I now communicate with my neighbors in a way I wasn?t doing so before,” Farrell said. “All of this is so simple and yet helps out so much.”Sara Brown can be reached at [email protected].